China's Huawei Technologies is gearing up to test its latest and most powerful artificial-intelligence processor, aiming to substitute some of the higher-end products from U. S. chip leader Nvidia, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Sunday. The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, stated that Huawei has reached out to several Chinese tech firms to evaluate the technical feasibility of its new chip, named the Ascend 910D. Huawei hopes that this newest version of its Ascend AI processors will surpass Nvidia's H100 in performance, and the company is expected to receive the initial batch of processor samples as early as late May, the report added. Additionally, Reuters reported on Monday that Huawei intends to start mass shipments of its advanced 910C artificial intelligence chip to Chinese customers as soon as next month. For years, Huawei and its Chinese counterparts have faced challenges in matching Nvidia’s capabilities in developing top-tier chips capable of competing with U. S. products used for training models—a process where data is input into algorithms to enable them to learn to make accurate decisions. In an effort to curb China’s technological progress, especially military advancements, the U. S.

has blocked China’s access to Nvidia’s most advanced AI products, including its flagship B200 chip. For instance, the H100 chip was prohibited from sale in China by U. S. authorities in 2022 even before its official launch. Nvidia declined to comment, and Huawei did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.